Former mayor’s case ready for sentencing

The former mayor of Basehor, who faces sentencing on Friday, thinks he's been the victim of an injustice.

John Pfannenstiel, who was denied a new trial recently, said he thinks citizens should be outraged at his treatment.

"I think that clearly an innocent man is being convicted, regardless of what the law says," he said. "Here we have the injustice taking place, the judge is ignoring it and the prosecutor is ignoring it."

In March, Pfannenstiel was convicted of three counts of having illegal sex with inmates at Lansing Correctional Facility, where he worked as a guard.

A Leavenworth County district judge recently ruled against Pfannenstiel's request for a new trial. Pfannenstiel's attorney, who said he would appeal, had argued that Charles Opie Jones Jr., a prosecution witness, had perjured himself as he testified against Pfannenstiel.

And a forensics specialist agreed that Jones had signed a document, in which Jones recanted his testimony against Pfannenstiel.